TN cannabis: pot or not pot? (school, taxes, live)

[An Einnseanair]

Originally Posted by Jumeby

I have never heard of someone getting lung cancer from smoking regular marijuana.

Forgive my bluntness (pun not intended), but that's an incredibly ignorant statement.

Smoking either tobacco or marijuana damages the lungs (see the link I posted above). But in spite of the implications of the anti-smoking public relations campaigns, not everyone who smokes tobacco gets cancer. Maybe 12%, or less if they stop.

Smoking tobacco was incredibly widespread worldwide and has been studied extensively in mass groups with multi-decade-long studies. Marijuana has been illegal for decades and has not been studied extensively in mass groups.

So it's all about the numbers.

I can't even count the number of people I know (or knew) who are (or were) life-long smokers, many of whom were burning through multiple packs (20+ cigs) a day. I know of many people who got lung cancer, and most of those cases could be directly linked to smoking cigarettes.

I don't know a single person who smokes 20+ blunts in a day. So they smoke less often, they smoke less quantity when they do, and they haven't been doing it their entire life. Also like you, "I have never heard of someone getting lung cancer from smoking regular marijuana".

But using those facts to claim marijuana is harmless is being willfully ignorant and dangerous.

Intentionally inhaling smoke and ash damages the lungs. Period. And if you happen to be someone with a genetic predisposition to develop cancer, yes, a few doobies could push your body over the edge to developing tumors.

Edit to add: Just to clarify, I am not anti-marijuana, or anti- any other non-addictive drug. If you want to inhale smoke and ash, then fire that blunt up. And I absolutely do not want to spend my taxpayer dollars policing such a thing. Make it legal, tax it, study it. Same with LSD and multiple other psychoactive drugs that show promise in helping with various physical and mental illnesses.

But don't be ignorant about it, and don't spread myths that smoking marijuana is "harmless".

[Jumeby]

Originally Posted by An Einnseanair

Forgive my bluntness (pun not intended), but that's an incredibly ignorant statement.

Smoking either tobacco or marijuana damages the lungs (see the link I posted above). But in spite of the implications of the anti-smoking public relations campaigns, not everyone who smokes tobacco gets cancer. Maybe 12%, or less if they stop.

Smoking tobacco was incredibly widespread worldwide and has been studied extensively in mass groups with multi-decade-long studies. Marijuana has been illegal for decades and has not been studied extensively in mass groups.

So it's all about the numbers.

I can't even count the number of people I know (or knew) who are (or were) life-long smokers, many of whom were burning through multiple packs (20+ cigs) a day. I know of many people who got lung cancer, and most of those cases could be directly linked to smoking cigarettes.

I don't know a single person who smokes 20+ blunts in a day. So they smoke less often, they smoke less quantity when they do, and they haven't been doing it their entire life. Also like you, "I have never heard of someone getting lung cancer from smoking regular marijuana".

But using those facts to claim marijuana is harmless is being willfully ignorant and dangerous.

Intentionally inhaling smoke and ash damages the lungs. Period. And if you happen to be someone with a genetic predisposition to develop cancer, yes, a few doobies could push your body over the edge to developing tumors.

Edit to add: Just to clarify, I am not anti-marijuana, or anti- any other non-addictive drug. If you want to inhale smoke and ash, then fire that blunt up. And I absolutely do not want to spend my taxpayer dollars policing such a thing. Make it legal, tax it, study it. Same with LSD and multiple other psychoactive drugs that show promise in helping with various physical and mental illnesses.

But don't be ignorant about it, and don't spread myths that smoking marijuana is "harmless".

I said "I have never heard of someone getting lung cancer from smoking regular marijuana." This is a true statement.

I also said "I thought cigarettes caused lung cancer due to the ~250 chemical additives of which many are carcinogens." This is also a true statement and backed by science.

I also gave my opinion on edibles

So what myths did I spread and what incredibly ignorant and dangerous statement did I make?

[An Einnseanair]

Originally Posted by Jumeby

So what myths did I spread and what incredibly ignorant and dangerous statement did I make?

Technically, you didn't directly say anything directly. But you most definitely were using words and phrases often used by people to imply that smoking marijuana is safe and healthy, which it absolutely is not. Maybe you weren't trying to imply this, but it sure sounded like you were.

Originally Posted by Jumeby

I agree 100% and would add that natural marijuana is safer and healthier than alcohol with less impairment.

Originally Posted by Jumeby

I have never heard of someone getting lung cancer from smoking regular marijuana.
I thought cigarettes caused lung cancer due to the ~250 chemical additives of which many are carcinogens.

I already addressed the "safer and healthier than alcohol quote (technically yes, but...) and the "never heard of someone getting lung cancer quote (it's all about numbers).

The "250 chemical additives" isn't accurate. There are actually about 600 approved additives that may be added to cigarettes (different flavorings and preservatives are added to different types). The number 250 comes from this quote from the National Cancer Institute: "Of the more than 7,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, at least 250 are known to be harmful, including hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, and ammonia. Among the 250 known harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke, at least 69 can cause cancer.

I would note that many, or even most, of the 250 chemicals known to be harmful and the 69 that can cause cancer would also be present in marijuana smoke and ash. Carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, all the chemicals in tar, etc.

"Natural" plants are incredibly complex and contain massive numbers of different molecules and compounds. The exact composition varies depending on the soil they're grown in, any applied pesticides or treatments, etc. And then curing/drying the "natural" plant material, followed by the wholesale chemical changes that occur during burning, creates another vast array of additional molecules and compounds.

And yet again, if you want to intentionally inhale smoke and ash, then go for it. But do it with the knowledge of all potential consequences, and don't try to hide the potential consequences from others.

[Jumeby]

Technically ... I'm not trying to hide the potential consequences from others.

Here is a good article from the American Cancer Society ... check it out

Marijuana and Cancer

[An Einnseanair]

Originally Posted by Jumeby

Here is a good article from the American Cancer Society ... check it out
Marijuana and Cancer

From the article, in the section titled, Possible harmful effects of marijuana:

"Smoked marijuana delivers THC and other cannabinoids to the body, but it also delivers harmful substances to users and those close by, including many of the same substances found in tobacco smoke."

But a good article. It clearly outlines the pros and cons of marijuana use, including differences between edibles and smoking that are new to me. For someone undergoing intensive cancer treatment, the benefits of marijuana are a no-brainer. And if you're already dying of cancer, adding the risk of lung cancer doesn't even register as a problem.

That said, most of my comments are addressed at people using marijuana recreationally.

It's articles like this that really make people wonder about why drugs like marijuana are still Schedule 1 (not really... it's all about the money... see my comment on the first page).

[lluvia]

Thankfully, one doesn't have to smoke it anymore. Vape cartridges, distillates, concentrates and edibles make for a nice alternative.

[drinkthekoolaid]

Marijuana has roughly the same negative health effects as does tobacco and alcohol.

I'm not for or against it, merely trying to be consistent and give people more freedoms.

I do believe in the alternative medicine of cannabis oils and things. There actually seems to be genuine medical benefits from carefully regulated uses and delivery (not smoking)

[TheShadow]

Delta 8 THC is formed by performing various chemical reactions using catalysts, heat, solvents, etc on CBD oil. It turns non-psychoactive CBD into a psychoactive form of THC. It's often then made into edibles like gummies, and even beverages. It's expensive and gives a mild buzz. At a slightly higher dose it's a pleasant alternative to going without weed in a state where weed is illegal. Delta 8's not legal in every state, but it is in Tennessee. I suspect that a lot of it that's being sold in storefronts or gas stations is fake. You can buy it online from a few respected purveyors who produce it themselves and aren't selling any product they didn't make. Good purveyors perform their own testing on their products, as well as employing multiple outside testing labs to verify the potency and safety.

[Jumeby]

On a side note, I read recently that they figured out how to remove that pungent odor/smell of cannabis and hemp. It can be odorless or they can add a different smell including a tobacco smell.

[62mike]

Just another effect of all the west coast and northerners moving here.